34-Year-Old Sanna Marin of Finland Becomes the World's Youngest Prime Minister

Photo: Thierry Monasse/Getty

A 34-year-old politician is about to become the youngest woman in the world to lead a nation.

Sanna Marin will become Finland’syoungest prime ministerever and the youngest national leader in the world, after being chosen late Sunday night to take over on behalf of the country’s Social Democratic Party.

Marin, who has been a lawmaker since 2015, was Finland’s transportation minister and Rinne’s deputy prime minister prior to being tapped to lead the government over the weekend.

Marin thanked supporters via Twitter on Monday.

“The past week has been extraordinary,” Marin told reporters soon after the vote, according to Finnish newspaperHelsingin Sanomat. “Now is the time to look ahead. What is needed now is words and deeds to build trust from all government parties.”

Marin was elected with a majority of the parliament vote, 32-29.

Thierry Monasse/Getty

During the elections in early 2019, Marin had stepped in for Rinne as the leader of the Social Democratic Party while he was on a two-month leave of absence afterfalling ill with pneumonia.

She led the party’s campaign leading up to the April elections, in which the Social Democratic Party won and Rinne, the party’s leader, assumed the role of prime minister.

Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, who served from 2014-15, tweeted out his support for the growing number of women leading the country’s government.

“One day gender will not matter in government,” he said, posting a picture depicting the five women leading Finland’s main political parties. “Meanwhile pioneers.”

Finland will vote to approve Marin’s appointment on Tuesday.

The Nordic nation currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency and, according to the Associated Press, is expected to quickly approve Marin’s nomination early this week so she can represent Finland at the EU’s summit in Brussels on December 12-13 later this week.

source: people.com